Alexandra Burke: Overcome

Alexandra Burke: Overcome

Saturday 24 October 2009 19.15 EDT
First published on Saturday 24 October 2009 19.15 EDT

If, up to now, The X Factor has spawned more misses than hits, then Simon Cowell isn't taking any chances with latest protégé Burke. Overcome is a cast-iron edifice of a debut, constructed by a crack team of producers (Red One, Stargate) and supported by US market-friendly guests (Ne-Yo, Flo Rida). Robo-R&B floorfillers like "All Night Long" and "Dumb" bear comparison with Rihanna, the obligatory ballads are stirringly belted, while a couple of Motowny numbers form pleasant enough anomalies. And if the whole thing expresses as much personality as Dannii Minogue's brow, who would have expected otherwise?